


the rubble of our sins

by lady-serendipity (JenZz)



Category: EXO (Band), Georgina Kincaid Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: Alternate Universe - Succubi & Incubi, Angst, Barebacking, Dubious Consent, Incubus Baekhyun, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Polyamory, it's dubious because even though Baek needs it he wishes he didn't
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-03-17 14:53:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13661304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenZz/pseuds/lady-serendipity
Summary: Baekhyun's an incubus under audit for not collecting enough good souls. In comes Kyungsoo, the most moral character he's ever met and horribly attractive to boot. Can Baekhyun resist the temptation and just be friends? And where does Lay fit into all of this, anyway?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> here's my newest longfic! Dedicated to my long-distance valentine, [Aurin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmNotGoodatthisnamingthing). Happy Valentine's day, my love on the other side of the world. I've been exhausted since writing jgmar, but back and ready for more longfics!!!! WHOOO buckle in kids!
> 
> Strongly based off of Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid series, so I've set it in that fandom as well. If you haven't read her books, you should give them a try!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for this chapter: dubious consent at the bar scene. You can skip it, I believe the surrounding context will fill you in!

Baekhyun prides himself in being good at his night job. Heck, he's one of the best, if he does say so himself.

One of the best at setting up, but one with a teeny problem with following through.

He's an incubus. Incubi are bound to the earth to seduce, and through sex they consume the soul of their victim. To sweeten the deal, they've been gifted with charisma and shapeshifting. If they're not careful―or are malicious―they can kill with sex. Some victims swear it's the best death. 

Baekhyun’s philosophy though, is that If someone has to lose part of their soul, it has to be an asshole already going to hell. Then he's just helping them along.

 _Assholes of Boston, beware, Byun Baekhyun is on the hunt tonight_ , he chuckles drily to himself as he shapeshifts the day’s demure work clothing into impossibly tight black jeans and a mesh shirt. He also shapeshifts on eyeliner in the way that makes his eyes irresistible, flaring out in guarantee of pleasure. Baekhyun doesn't even need a mirror any more - after a few centuries of practice, he knows what looks good on him. Finishing the rest of his makeup, he checks the mirror anyway. His reflection quirks a smile back at him, brilliantly dyed red hair gleaming, and he nods.

Time to go.

Sauntering out the door, he remembers to lock the door and place the key under the dead camellia. Baekhyun taps his toe as he waits for the elevator, already restless. The elevator dings and he's inside in a flash, jabbing at the close door button.

“Someone's in a hurry tonight, huh?” The unexpected words startle Baekhyun. He swings to blink at the other person in the elevator and… fuck, his answer dies in his throat when he actually looks at him.

The other person practically exudes confidence, wearing it like a second skin. His black hair is slicked up and back, making him look rakishly handsome. His knowing smirk reveals a dimple in his right cheek.

He's also exuding an aura of some sort of power, so he's an immortal. Totally fine to fuck―one can’t lose a soul one doesn’t have. Baekhyun’s mouth waters at the possibility of shoving the other man against the elevator wall and having his way with him. 

Composing himself, he asks, “Haven't seen you around before. Live in this building?”

The other man’s smile widens. “Wouldn't you like to know?” Ah. Two can play at this game.

Baekhyun saunters forward, and slowly placed his arms around the man. “I _would_ like to know,” he purrs. He can feel the man shiver slightly, and grins in victory.

Before he can respond, the elevator doors ding and they've reached the lobby. The man slips out of Baekhyun's arms while he’s distracted by the doors, and slides a business card into his butt pocket.

“I'm busy tonight, but call me baby,” the other says, winking before dashing out the door.

He stares at the receding figure, and only barely remembers he should probably leave the elevator. What a beautifully fluid movement. Was he a vampire, maybe? But no, he knew how vampires moved and that was slightly different. 

_Maybe this’ll help_ , he thinks as he squints at the card. It reads “Lay” in fancy script, and simply a number underneath. _Guess not_. Baekhyun debates a bit but finally decides to take the elevator back up to leave the business card safely at home. _Can’t hurt to be safe_.

Returning to the lobby, he finds Sulli already there and looking supremely annoyed. “There you are,” she whines. “I've been waiting forever. What took you so long?”

Baekhyun grins at her poutiness, ruffling her hair. “A great Lay, you could say,” he teases, chuckling at his terribly clever joke. But he doesn’t explain further, because for some reason he wants to keep it to himself until he has more time to figure it out.

She rolls her eyes. “Fine, don't tell me. Let's go.” Sulli turns on her heel and marches out, hailing a cab for the two of them.

The drive to Storyville is relatively smooth, the two talking about everyday matters. Sulli is a succubus, a young one that Baekhyun has taken under his wing, so to speak. It’s one of the duties Joonmyun, Boston’s archdemon and Baekhyun’s demonic equivalent of supervisor, has foisted upon Baekhyun. Something about making up for his quantity over quality quota.

Luckily, Baekhyun enjoys teaching, especially Sulli. She's very talented, already knowing how to use her charismatic cute points to seduce men and women alike. He's been teaching her the finer points of shape shifting to strengthen her assets.

They arrive and saunter into the night club, skipping the line to pay. Both of them bring business, and Baekhyun's friends with the right people.

Some nights are long, but others he finds his victims quickly. Tonight he's lucky. A sleazy looking man is draped across the bar, checking out every young person with the misfortune to walk by him. The bartender, Namjoon, looks ready to call the bouncers when his eyes meet Baekhyun's. A nod of understanding.

Baekhyun will take care of him.

“Sulli, see you on the other end.” She nods, distracted because she has also found her target, and disappears into the undulating dancing crowd.

He puts an extra sway in his hips as he approaches the bar, avoiding the chairs that are already knocked over. At first the man doesn't notice him. When he does, his gaze fixes on Baekhyun in a predatory way, expression turning even more leery.

Little does the man know _he's_ the prey tonight.

Baekhyun bats his eyes at the man when he's close enough. “Buy me a drink?” he asks coyly.

The man sneers, “I'll buy you five if you let me tap that ass.” Baekhyun takes him up on the offer, taking his hand and placing it on his perky butt. The man gives him a particularly hard squeeze. Baekhyun doesn't let him see the internal wince.

The man nods and hails Namjoon over. “Five shots of whatever this boy wants, on me.” Namjoon takes the money and hands Baekhyun five shots of water. They'll split the money later. Namjoon's great like that. He doesn't ask questions, not after Baekhyun's demonstrated to him that he's got ways of defending himself. Hapkido, not the shapeshifting thing. For a mortal, Namjoon is pretty supportive of sex work. Baekhyun hasn't seen the need to correct that misunderstanding. As Namjoon gives him the water, he whispers, “Be careful. This guy looks like a nasty piece of work.” Baekhyun nods and downs the shots, flinging his head back and showing off his neck.

He hates the slimy way the man's eyes slide over him, but whatever keeps him alive works. Setting the last shot glass down, he beckons the man away from the bar. “I need…”

“A nice big cock in you?” the man slurs, filling in the blanks. It's crude, but it's consent. Baekhyun will take it.

One of Baekhyun's personal rules is always getting consent. Soulsucking is a serious commitment, after all.

Baekhyun leads the man out the side door and into the alleyway. As soon as the door closes shut, Baekhyun is shoved unceremoniously against the opposite wall. Expecting this, his hands had shot out to soften his landing on the rough brick. He closes his eyes as the man reaches around him and gropes at his crotch.

“What a docile boy. People like you are such a turn on,” the man grunts into his ear before shoving Baekhyun's pants and briefs down. A zipper is pulled down. Baekhyun hastily uses his shape-shifting powers to make himself lubed ready for sex, and just in time—a dick is shoved up his ass. 

The man moans into Baekhyun's ear. “What a little slut, you're already prepped and you take cock so well.”

As the man thrusts into Baekhyun, his identity floods his senses. Ben Cavanaugh, 40 years old. Serial cheater, frequents bars in search of young flesh to harass after bad days at work.

Baekhyun is fine with taking some of this soul, sighing as his eternal friend, hunger, is quenched for the time being. Incubi and succubi absorption is determined by the inherent morality of the victim's soul. Victims with strong, _good_ moral character gave more life energy, which meant they got more hurt. Weaker men lost less and gave less. 

Baekhyun takes himself to his mental place, the room in his mental castle he likes to reside in when doing his job. It makes the act easier, pretending that it's not him being fucked against a wall. Instead he's taking in Ben’s alcohol-scattered stream of consciousness. Desire. Pride at getting some fine ass. Little remorse for the wife he’s cheating on. So hot. Love the way he's prepped. Gonna come so hard. 

Baekhyun gasps, anticipating the life energy that usually floods him and brings him to orgasm. His neck is arched, sweat dripping down as he grips the wall, thighs braced and hole clenching. The orgasm reverberates through him as the life force pours into him, fueling his immortality. 

The man gasps as he comes and quickly pulls out as he's coming, weakly splattering onto the back of Baekhyun’s legs. Baekhyun sighs - half with disgust, half because the life energy floating through him is a glorious, heady presence. At least his pants were all the way down. He straightens and turns in time to see the man pass out onto the pavement. Sigh. Drunk guys are so annoying to deal with.

After evaporating the semen from his bare legs and pulling up his pants, Baekhyun stoops down to check for a pulse. Still there, a steady indication of a deep sleep. The energy, though not that strong, is good enough to keep him going for a good month or so. He leaves the man’s dick out and pats him down to find his phone. Picking it up, he texts the first person in the history and says - “Alley Storyville drunk help.”

Good enough. He then texts Sulli with his own phone: “Done, headed out. Have fun, kitten.” He calls an Uber and heads home.

It’s not that he hates his job per se. A guy’s gotta live, and he’s the one who made his bed and is lying on it - with other people’s souls on the line. 

Still, he avoids eye contact with the driver, choosing instead to play a mindless game on his phone. With the life energy wrapped around him like the glow of health, mortals find Baekhyun irresistible, even if they have high moral values. Baekhyun doesn’t need more, and he won’t eat more than he needs.

When the driver pulls up to his apartment building, he mumbles, “Thanks,” to the driver and quickly hops onto the curb, slamming the door behind him. He tucks his phone away and saunters into the building, waving a lazy hello to the stunned doorwoman. 

In his mind’s eye he knows her face has gone slack with desire, imagining all the things she would do to him if she could. He can practically feel her lust trailing after him, the siren call of life energy just waiting to be had. Luckily, with the night’s hunt he’s got enough to resist her. Baekhyun knows for a fact she’s got a man and two children waiting for her, and he never, ever wants to ruin something like that.

He does think that she doesn’t value what she has.

When Baekhyun gets back to his room, he pulls out the card, turning it over in his hands. “Lay,” he muttered to himself. “Gotta be a business name…”

He exits the elevator door, walks down the hallway, and unlocks his door, still fixated on the card. Baekhyun almost runs into his supernatural boss, but stopped himself in time. “To what do I owe this pleasure, boss?” he drawls. He’s not really in the mood for midnight visits, especially by Joonmyun.

Though it was Joonmyun’s job to manage all of the minions in the Boston area, he generally didn’t do midnight visits, especially home visits. Something about a work-undead life balance. Joonmyun usually had a laissez-faire attitude towards his minions, preferring they create as little work for him as possible. He only intervened when one of them stepped out of line.

Baekhyun didn’t think he had stepped out of line.

“I’ve gotten reports that you are repeatedly failing to meet your quota,” Joonmyun states, inhumanly beautiful face smiling but clearly annoyed.

Baekhyun scoffs. “Correction, I always meet my quota. Just barely. Besides, it’s been years. Why are you miffed _now_ , of all times?”

Joonmyun’s smile is forced now. “We’re being audited,” he grumbles. “So do better, or else his bully boys will come for you.” He grimaces at the thought, and Baekhyun also pales.

“What does ‘do better’ even mean?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he regrets them. Because he knows he isn’t going to like the answer.

“Corrupt _good_ souls. It’s you or them, Baek, and as cheeky as you are, I still like you. No arguments, go get them. Good night.” With that, Joonmyun vanishes into a puff of smoke.

“Well, fuck.” Baekhyun rubs his forehead, suddenly feeling a metaphorical headache come on. His slacker-incubus habits have been left alone for _centuries_. “Why now?” he asks his cat Chen, who is finally feeling like acknowledging his presence, twining around his ankles. Chen, of course, knows nothing of demonic happenings besides that he does not like Joonmyun and paws at him, mewing pitifully.

“I’ve already fed you,” Baekhyun says sternly, but it’s all a sham and Chen knows it. His cat eyes him triumphantly as Baekhyun reaches for the rest of the food, and pours a bit more into its bowl. Since he’s already in the kitchen, Baekhyun also grabs a pint of ice cream and storms into his bedroom, shedding his clothes along the way. 

He grumpily eats some ice cream and many theories about an audit swirl around his mind. He’ll have to consult his demonic social group about what’s happening. Tomorrow.

 _But what will make this better is_ … Baekhyun pulls out the card and looks at it, still sulking. _It would be nice to have a booty call that’s not life-threatening. Or be a booty call_. That could make up for having to grab good souls - he’d have proper, mind-blowing sex with an immortal, and just steal kisses or something from good souls. That would stave off his audit.

 _It makes sense in my mind anyway_ , he thought, and punches in Lay’s number.

Me: hey  
Lay: hello hello who is this?  
Me: the cute boy in the elevator  
Lay: ah, hel _lo_. though, this isn’t exactly “calling me”?  
Me: don’t rly feel like talking :c  
Lay: hah, ok fair. whatcha wearing?  
Me: wouldn’t you like to know?  
Me: only underwear  
Lay: fuck  
Lay: you’re kidding right

A smirk forms on Baekhyun’s face as he makes another rash decision. Angling the phone just right, he snaps a selfie from above, left finger pulling down his lower lip slightly.

Me: [picture]  
Lay: let me take you out for dinner first  
Lay: this is going a bit fast  
Me: when?  
Lay: anytime babe. just lmk  
Me: Monday night?  
Lay: I'll pick you up in the lobby

The smirk on Baekhyun’s face softens to a smile. _A proper date, eh?_ That sounds nice, compared to being fucked against a wall. Not that Baekhyun’s complaining. _Besides_ , he thought sourly, _thanks to the audit I have to screw over good people now_. 

Chen jumping into his bed and curling around him breaks his negative thoughts. He yawns and thinks, _A thought for another day. Better sleep now, with work in the morning_. Thankfully, Baekhyun has just enough presence of mind to put the ice cream away before nuzzling with Chen. Though it took a while, sleep eventually claimed Baekhyun.

_____________________

Baekhyun loves his day job. As a part librarian, part event coordinator at the Children's Library in Copley Square, he's in his element. He hadn’t had many days before going off to be a soldier in his human life, but he’d always liked helping out his older brother with his children. Before his sacrifice, Baekhyun had been looking forward to having some of his own. But he knew that the man he’d sacrificed his life, his future for, had been worth it.

If he closes his eyes, he can still remember his lover’s face. He’d do it all over again. One would think after a few thousand years his memories of his human life would fade, but they are still hauntingly solid. But it makes sense, because Baekhyun needs to remember what he’s sacrificed, why he’s here now.

But at least the now he’s in is beautiful. Sunlight streaming through the large bay windows, shelves organized in an orderly but open fashion. At the Library, Baekhyun feels free in a way his night job doesn't allow. And he _is_ giving back to the community.

How odd, for a servant of hell to care so much.

He wolfs down a Mike's pastry from a box in the kitchen—did he mention his awesome coworkers?—and wiggles his butt as he makes a fresh pot of coffee. Humming, Baekhyun grabs a mug and dumps in five spoonfuls of sugar before dumping in coffee.

“Another diabetes in a cup,” jokes a person behind him. Baekhyun sets down the cup, and whirls around to hug Chanyeol.

“Good morning to you too, ya big lug!” he chirps after letting go, grinning up at his best coworker friend. Chanyeol is co-events coordinator with Baekhyun, often matching his enthusiasm for creating programs. He belongs mainly to the advancement department, meaning he’s in charge of securing funding for the events, and schmoozing the Boston Public Library’s donors.

The tall silver-haired man grins back at him, ruffling his hair. Chanyeol’s engulfed in a sweatshirt several sizes too large for him, as usual. Both women and men have been wooed by his appearance alone, and many of the donors offer repeatedly to be his personal donor. Chanyeol ensnares them further by seemingly innocently taking their requests to mean being bigger donors to the Library. He does, however, draw the line for the more ardent suitors.

“Ready for the afternoon?”

Baekhyun nods, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I'm so glad everything worked out. I just know the kids are going to love Mr. Kyungsoo Do.”

Kyungsoo Do is a picture book illustrator and writer who had reached worldwide renown. He’d started small, with illustrated books about the adventures of Peng-Gwen, a young female penguin trying to find her place in the world. At some point, a Chinese Canadian named Henry Lau had decided to help translate the book, and it spread like wildfire. Suddenly, Kyungsoo Do found himself earning accolades and funds.

With those funds, instead of capitalizing and making Peng-Gwen stories forever, Kyungsoo Do turned to making picture-book stories about humanitarian crises around the world. He had a way of phrasing ideas that made terrible, complicated events easy to understand, even at a child’s level. And those books, once published, brought worldwide attention and donations, in addition to Mr. Do’s own contributions from his earnings.

You could say Baekhyun’s a fan. And fucking lucky to boot. Not everyone has a millionaire friend who is _also_ a fan of Kyungsoo Do. 

Jongin Kim, high-ranking executive of the Boston Globe, was able to sponsor a visa for Kyungsoo Do to come to his city and stay for research with his news company. Well, he’s not Baekhyun’s friend per se, but thanks to his crush on Chanyeol, Jongin _is_ a Friend of the Boston Public Library. And as he’s told Jongin on multiple occasions, “What’s good for the Library is good for Chanyeol.” It always works, Jongin doling out more money for the library. It’s his way of pining after Chanyeol in the shadows. Somehow Jongin manages to be a competent CEO in the outside world and a shy donor in the library.

But it’s worked out even better than Baekhyun had expected, because Jongin had also decided to bring Kyungsoo Do into the Children’s Library programs. They’re holding an event for him today, a book reading and signing.

And that’s why Baekhyun is now putting finishing touches to the main reading room, spreading around enough cushions for fifty small children. Satisfied, his heart swells at the thought of the Boston children getting to see Baekhyun’s favorite children’s book author. _Children, and I suspect their mothers too_ , he thought wryly. According to the reports, Kyungsoo Do had a healthy following of middle-aged women in love with his words and his looks. Unlike those women, Baekhyun actually respected the author’s decision to not have his pictures publicized and avoided all the stalker pictures online. _I should probably get some bigger cushions, though._

He turns around and stops himself just in time to avoid colliding with the person in front of him. Smiling sheepishly, he opens his mouth to apologize but it drops open instead. 

“Hi,” the man says, also smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, you turned around unexpectedly.” He’s absolutely gorgeous, with strong eyebrows, plush lips, and clear black eyes. The man has jet black hair and is slight in stature, and Baekhyun is so fucked because this is his type incarnate. A few moments pass in awkward silence as Baekhyun stares. “Um…”

Baekhyun finally recovers. “Sorry, hi. Can I help you?” He spots the picture book in the man’s hands and lights up when he sees the drawn penguin on the cover. “Oh, are you going to the signing?” he asks, excited.

“You could say that,” he replies mildly, shifting the book in his hands. His body is still, with a calm self-control Baekhyun could never achieve even with a few centuries of practice. Though he doesn’t make to leave, the man also doesn’t continue the conversation. 

Baekhyun has no problem keeping the conversation up. “Well, make sure you put your listening cap on! I’m sure he’ll share some really deep stuff.”

A wry smile appears on the man’s mouth. “Oh really? What makes you say that?” 

Baekhyun huffs at him in disbelief. “Because he’s amazing!” he points at the penguin depicted on the book. “Especially this one! This is full of life lessons and magic for little girls all over the world.” He sighs dreamily.

“But don’t you think the author’s time is better spent on what he does now?” the other says, frowning slightly.

Shrugging, Baekhyun replies, “Sure, I can see why you’d say that. That doesn’t mean Peng-Gwen is any less important. I think it’s great he wrote so much about her finding herself. I thought it was very deep and relatable, even as a man. In fact, I’d kiss the living daylights out of him if he wrote another Peng-Gwen story.”

“Hmm.” The other man’s eyebrows are furrowed and Baekhyun thinks it’s pretty sexy and cute at the same time. Then he realizes the man is staring back at him, and Baekhyun starts to feel hot under the measured look.

Before he has to reply, he’s spared by another library patron approaching them. She’s a young mother, holding the hand of a five-year old kid. They’re looking for the “big red dog books.” Baekhyun excuses himself to the man and crouches down to talk to the kid, pointing out where to find them. As usual, he feels his heart grow five sizes while talking to the book-loving kid.

When he turns back to where the Do fan had been standing, Baekhyun sees that he’s gone. Shrugging, _I’ll probably see him later_ , he returns to his work.

_____________________

At noon, Chanyeol texts him.

pcwhy: meet in the back room  
baek: kinky ;)  
pcwhy: ugh you

Baekhyun smiles and heads off to the room. _It’s always so fun to rile him up_ , he thinks, and pauses. It’s his chance to meet his favorite author, ever. Shouldn’t he dress up a bit more? Looking at his outfit, Baekhyun narrows his eyes and makes his jeans just a little more slim-fitting, his eyes more darkly lined. It’s a children’s book event after all, he can’t be too risque. But this is good enough.

Satisfied, he continues to the “back room” - more of a staff area - and stops dead when he sees Chanyeol isn’t alone. The Do fan is with him, nodding seriously to whatever Chanyeol is saying. But Chanyeol’s getting more and more excited, and at this rate he might accidentally knock something down with his animated gestures. The Do fan seems to have noticed, tensing and ready to intervene if necessary. 

Taking pity on the fan, Baekhyun steps in for him and says, “Hey Chanyeol, stop waving so much, you’ll punch the wall again.” Chanyeol abruptly cuts off, sticking out his tongue at Baekhyun before beaming.

“Look who’s finally here!” he says, and then does a double take. Whistling appreciatively, he teases, “Someone dressed up,” and turns to the fan. “This is Baekhyun Byun, event coordinator.”

Baekhyun catches an admiring glance from the Do fan before he quickly looks away, face flushing. “Nice to meet you.”

 _Enough is enough_ , Baekhyun thinks, turning to the other man. It’s almost time for the signing, the man should really take his place outside. “As nice as it is to see you again, you should―”

Chanyeol claps his hands, interrupting Baekhyun. “Ah, fantastic, you’ve already made your acquaintance with Kyungsoo? I’ll leave you two to it then!” Chanyeol says brightly, and heads off to manage the crowd outside.

_Wait… wHAT???_

_____________________


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh!! I didn't mean to leave this sitting for a month but I signed myself up for many fic fests. I'm hoping to publish on a biweekly basis, but definitely more often than monthly. anyway, enjoy! I'll blabber some more at the end. :)
> 
> Thanks as always to my lovely beta, Joyce. I'll write ya something soon <3

_____________________

  
_You don’t have to do this, you know._  
 _I do. It’s literally my job._  
 _But…_  
 _Stop. We’ve gone over this a million times. There’s no other way. My plans are already in motion._  
 _Okay. I’m here for you._  
 _Thanks. Sorry… for dragging you into this._  


_____________________

Kyungsoo is normally happy with silences. But the silence that’s sitting between him and Baekhyun makes him want to kick himself. It should be easy to talk to Baekhyun, just another staff member. Hasn't he already met a ton of library management on his book tours?

Well, yes, but none of them were as drop dead gorgeous as Baekhyun. Kyungsoo had been standing by as Baekhyun whisked around the library, meticulously arranging things for his signing. Baekhyun took such care for a children’s event despite knowing that the children themselves wouldn’t bat an eye before messing it up. There was something adorable about that gesture. And then Baekhyun had mistaken him for a fan… of himself.

Adorable.

It’s the whole reason he had insisted against putting his face on his books—Kyungsoo had wished to remain anonymous in the streets and observe his fans rather than being observed. But the Korean fans had started spreading pictures from his book signings, raving about how handsome he was. So much so that eventually he couldn’t even leave his apartment in Korea without being surrounded by strangers asking for his signature.

Though he appreciated his fans, the crazy fangirls that only liked him for his face were not and never will be the audience he wants to pursue.

He’d called Jongin in a panic, desperate to escape the celebrity life, and his childhood friend delivered. Jongin had found him a job he’d been needing someone for anyway, and lent him some bodyguards to boot. 

Focus. Kyungsoo shakes himself a bit to return to Baekhyun. Poor beautiful Baekhyun, who looks like he wants to say something but is struggling to figure out what. Kyungsoo decides to break the silence first. “So I should write another Gwennie story, right?” He smiles in what he hopes is a winning fashion.

It's lost on Baekhyun, who has his head in his hands now. “I'm so sorry for existing. I'm such an embarrassing fan,” he moans. 

Frowning now, Kyungsoo says, “Are you kidding? I've met way worse, trust me.” His heart melts at how Baekhyun looks up and peeks between the fingers covering his eyes, like a child cheating at hide-and-seek. He’ll have to put that in his book.

“This sounds like story time.” Baekhyun’s got a teasing tone in his voice, which makes Kyungsoo relieved, but also dismayed.

“Maybe later,” Kyungsoo says apologetically, glancing towards the door back to the Children’s Library. “Should we get going?”

Baekhyun looks too and smacks himself in the head. “Sorry, I’m being a complete dolt today. Yeah, I’ll go introduce you.” As Baekhyun runs off, Kyungsoo realizes that the warmth in his chest might just be fondness. Already? Welp. He might be in for it.

_____________________

Thank goodness Baekhyun doesn’t fumble the introductions. When he finishes to the cheering of children, he makes an exaggerated bow, sweeping Kyungsoo in. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes but smiles at Baekhyun, making Baekhyun’s heart stutter.

He has to force himself to move along and _not_ get stunned by Kyungsoo’s smile again, briskly walking to the staff’s reserved section. There, he can discreetly watch Kyungsoo with starry eyes. Baekhyun barely registers Chanyeol giving him a thumbs up as he walks past him and a few other library volunteers to his seat. 

Kyungsoo seems a bit shy at first, but when he starts reading, Baekhyun melts at how beautiful his voice is. He’s a puddle on the floor. Chanyeol will have to mop him up, it’s that bad. The nerves completely dissipates as Kyungsoo gets his own rhythm, and _shit_ , Baekhyun is a goner.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Minseok whispers as he slides into the vacant seat next to Baekhyun. He’s a key part of Baekhyun’s “demonic social group,” an imp whose hellish duty is to convince mortals into signing away their souls. Contracts and paperwork galore. In real life, he’s a florist. All of the lesser immortals Baekhyun knows have day jobs. Something about giving them purpose to mark the long days of immortality. Or it could be that it reminds them of their human days.

He’s also the cavalry Baekhyun has called in. Baekhyun absently pats Minseok in lieu of a greeting, attention already snapping back to Kyungsoo. “You may have to kill me later,” he murmurs to Minseok, keeping an eye on Chanyeol to make sure he doesn’t notice their rude whispering.

Minseok chuckles. “What a drama queen. What did you say to him? This is the writer guy you’ve been mooning over, right?”

“Well,” he tells Minseok, wincing, “I may or may not have told him I prefer his original series to his current best-selling humanitarian rights series, and that I’d… kiss the living daylights out of him if he wrote another. Yeah.”

He glares at Minseok when the other makes a funny choking noise, but shrinks under Chanyeol’s disapproving glare in turn. Damn, even though they’re sitting a few seats away. Those big ears of Chanyeol’s must serve their purpose well. “On the bright side, you got noticed. What kind of fan are you, didn’t you know what he looked like? I’m surprised you didn’t fall in love for the looks first.”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “There were never pictures of him in his books… now I understand why there were so many stalker fans.” He sighs, flopping miserably onto Minseok’s shoulder but returning his complete attention to the makeshift stage.

Kyungsoo’s wrapping up his reading, and moving onto the question section. Baekhyun can only feel himself falling for him harder as Kyungsoo answers the children’s off-the-wall questions with as much seriousness as he would answer an adult.

“Why does it take so long for your book to get published?”  
“I guess that’s life.”

“When you first came here to America, did you drive or take the bus?”  
“I… bus? I took an airplane.” 

Baekhyun had difficulty keeping it together for that question. He’s impressed by Kyungsoo’s stoicism. And his handsomeness, but that’s another matter.

Eventually he notices Minseok’s impatient jabs. “What?” he hisses at his friend, who gestures towards Kyungsoo.

“This one’s bad to fall for, Baek. I hope you know that?”

“What—” Baekhyun starts to ask but is suddenly dragged to his feet by Chanyeol, who is announcing that the questions are over and that signing is beginning. Sighing, he goes along, knowing that Minseok will wait for him to be done. Chanyeol is always very insistent on Baekhyun dealing with the library volunteers and patrons immediately, and to be fair Baekhyun is very good at it. He wishes that Chanyeol hadn’t cut him off so abruptly; he’ll have to thoroughly grill Minseok on the T ride home. 

It takes almost an hour to shuffle the children and their guardians through the signing line, even with five volunteers. At least the guardians are doing their best to keep their children in line, literally. Kyungsoo looks tired, but in good spirits when Chanyeol beckons Baekhyun over from thanking the volunteers for cleaning up. 

He sends an apologetic look to Minseok, mouthing, “Almost done!” Minseok gives him a thumbs up and returns to his phone. Relieved that his friend seems to be occupying himself, he takes a look at Chanyeol and groans. He’s got that scheming look on his face, and that means nothing good. Baekhyun warily approaches Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. “What’s up, Chanyeol?” 

Chanyeol beams at him. “This is your lucky day, Baek. Rejoice! Since I know you’re one of Kyungsoo’s biggest fans, you get to show him around Boston. As I told you, he’s going to live here for a while, but he doesn’t know where exactly he wants to settle.” 

Gaping at his coworker, Baekhyun dumbly says, “What?” He turns to Kyungsoo, who is hesitantly smiling at him. _Fuck. Too cute._ “What about Jongin?”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Jongin’s too busy being a CEO. Besides, he doesn’t really get out much. So you probably know the area better, and where I should be apartment-hunting.” He scratched his head. “Besides, I can only live in a hotel for so long.”

“I…” Minseok’s words bubble up to his memory. _This one’s bad to fall for._

He must hesitate a moment too long, because Kyungsoo’s face is falling. “If you don’t want to…” 

“Of course he does,” Chanyeol says, clapping Baekhyun on the shoulder.

“I… would be happy to.” Baekhyun gives up, knowing it’s no good when Chanyeol is this determined. “Sorry,” he smiles at Kyungsoo, trying to make it genuine, “I was trying to remember if I’d already made plans for the weekend. But I think Sunday should be free. Let’s exchange numbers?” Sunday gives him a whole day to mentally prepare himself. Chanyeol leaves them, satisfied that they are working out logistics.

“Sorry, I can’t do Sunday,” Kyungsoo says, looking disappointedly at his phone calendar. “Jongin’s got this fancy work party he wants me to attend. Tomorrow any time though?”

“Saturday… afternoon?” Baekhyun will have to wake up early and yell at the world.

“Saturday afternoon sounds perfect,” he replies gratefully, and they decide to meet at the Thinking Cup on the edge of Boston Common. Baekhyun wonders what Chanyeol’s gotten him into. Hanging out for a whole day with his dream man who his friend has also just warned him about… but maybe it’ll be okay. It’s a platonic thing, you know? A not-date? 

Before they part ways, Baekhyun realizes he’s almost forgotten something. “Oh wait! Wait a sec, Kyungsoo?” He doesn’t give Kyungsoo a chance to respond, sprinting into the office and grabbing the book on his desk. Running back, he presents it to Kyungsoo. “Will you sign this?” he asks, slightly breathlessly and looking hopefully at Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo looks at him strangely, and Baekhyun isn’t sure how to interpret it. But then the moment is gone, and Kyungsoo responds, “Sure, I’ll bring it back tomorrow. Nice meeting you,” and walks away. 

Dumbfounded, Baekhyun realizes he is now bookless _and_ booked for tomorrow. Minseok walks up from behind, draping an arm around his shoulder. “Done chatting?”

“He took my book. And left. Just like that.”

“Maybe it’s for the best,” Minseok comments mysteriously, and steers him towards the exit too. They watch as a sleek black car pulls up to the sidewalk, and Kyungsoo enters. Probably courtesy of Jongin. “Listen, you can’t be with him. At all.”

“Okay, what the heck do you mean?” They begin walking to the T.

“Well,” Minseok begins, walking through the turnstiles. “You know I can see souls, right?” 

“Well yeah,” Baekhyun replies, “That’s part of your job as an imp. And?” He gasps, pausing on the platform. “Does Kyungsoo have a black soul?” It can’t be possible, he does such good things… but appearances can be deceiving?

“If only,” Minseok says, though he spares an eyeroll for Baekhyun’s dramatics. “No, he’s like supernova-level blinding. I thought it was a trick of the light at first, because _damn_.” His voice turns serious. “Baek, you know what that means, right?” 

Baekhyun looks at him blankly before the realization dawns on him. “If I as much as even kiss him on the cheek, I’ll draw a ton of energy from him. And… he’s exactly the target Joonmyun wants me to get.” Mutely, he follows Minseok onto the subway and sits down, hard.

“Exactly,” Minseok mutters darkly. “I heard about your audit. We all heard about it. Isn’t it too convenient for your favorite author to move to Boston the next day?”

Biting his lip, Baekhyun can’t help but agree. “But it could just be a coincidence,” he says weakly, knowing how Hell works. Minseok is already shaking his head as they walk out of the subway and to Baekhyun’s apartment. “Anyway, let’s change the subject. How’s your latest batch of flower things?”

Both of them know it’s a weak segue, but Minseok indulges Baekhyun as he always does. When Baekhyun approaches his door, he groans at the familiar sensations swirling on the other side of his apartment door. “When did my apartment become the demonic hangout spot?” he whines as he pushes open the door to reveal Jongdae and Lu Han. “Aren’t you two supposed to be in Providence?”

Providence is under the domain of a different demon, so Jongdae and Lu Han have a different boss. Their boss, Zitao, is even more lenient than Joonmyun but for different reasons. In terms of Hell, Jongdae and Lu Han are something of a dream team. Jongdae is an imp like Minseok, but with a thousand more years of experience. Lu Han is an incubus like Baekhyun, though he only has a few more centuries of experience.

Still, it’s enough to make quite a difference. Zitao and Joonmyun like to size up against each other once in a while, too, so Zitao is even more fine with the two of his minions visiting Boston once in a while.

“We’re here to show support,” Jongdae says from where he’s sprawled on Baekhyun’s loveseat, combing through Lu Han’s hair. The relaxed posture of the imp almost implies that _Baekhyun’s_ the one in _Jongdae’s_ home, and it definitely reminds him of his cat, Chen. Lu Han, however, pulls himself free from Jongdae, getting up and moving towards them. “We heard about your audit through the grapevine and got on the next train over.”

“This is not why I gave you a key to my apartment,” Baekhyun grumps at his best friend as he watches Lu Han saunter past him and up to Minseok. The two of them have had a strange flirtation happening for a while, and Baekhyun can never tell if Minseok actually likes the incubus or not. “Who told?”

“Why don’t you guess?” Lu Han asks as he wraps his fingers around Minseok’s bicep. The imp rolls his eyes but flexes anyway, making Lu Han sigh dreamily. “You should choke me with these.”

Minseok chuckles despite himself, and Baekhyun can hear the fondness in it. “You’re so bad at this,” he facepalms with his other hand, “aren’t you an incubus?” Still, he doesn’t move away. It’s as good as consent for Lu Han, who wraps his arm around Minseok’s and leans on his shoulder. He manages to make it look comfortable, but Baekhyun knows it really isn’t. 

Meanwhile, Baekhyun moves to join Jongdae on his own couch. Might as well make himself comfortable, if his other houseguests have already done the same. He wonders for a moment about where his cat is, but forgets it in favor of straddling Jongdae’s lap. For a good face-to-face conversation, of course. After a few centuries, Baekhyun has gotten Jongdae used to his antics. 

Their relationship had started out rocky, if only for the fact that Jongdae’s the reason Baekhyun’s an incubus in the first place. But Baekhyun couldn’t fault the imp for doing his job, and he had been the one to voluntarily sign his soul away. And for the results, he would do it again in a heartbeat.

After the two of them ended up together in nearby cities time and time again, Baekhyun decided he’d try out being friends with Jongdae. They hit it off spectacularly, Jongdae’s snarky enthusiasm pairing well with Baekhyun’s own. Sometimes even Lu Han remarks how strange it is, that Baekhyun had decided to trust Jongdae. 

But Baekhyun is glad he has done so, because Jongdae is now one of his most trusted friends. His cat’s name, Chen, comes from their time together in China in the 1970s when Baekhyun was Boxian and Jongdae was Chen. All of the lesser immortals changed names and identities like clothes when going from place to place, to make blending in easier. Though China… the Cultural Revolution had certainly been an interesting time for agents of Hell.

Anyway, he knew Jongdae would tell him, while Lu Han would continue to dance around the answer. “Seriously though, Dae, who?”

Jongdae holds Baekhyun’s waist to steady him. “You know Lu Han’s good at knowing things. He also happens to be a current favorite of your boss’s second-in-command,” he adds with a shrug.

Baekhyun widens his eyes. “Sehun?” he asks with disbelief. A mental image of the stony-faced lesser demon appears in his mind. “But he’s so… aloof?”

“Not in bed, sweetie,” Lu Han says in Baekhyun’s ear and makes him jump. He swats at Lu Han but he’s already moved out of Baekhyun’s reach, laughing. “You know how it is.”

“I guess I do,” Baekhyun murmurs thoughtfully, shifting to lean back into Jongdae and look at Lu Han. “Did he tell you anything else?”

Lu Han crosses his arms and also looks thoughtful. “No, not really. He did call me—”

His next words are drowned out by Baekhyun coughing loudly. “TMI,” Baekhyun says and changes the subject. If he stays on this topic, he suspects that Lu Han will only divert it some more. Maybe he can get a word in with Jongdae when they make to leave… which he hopes is soon. Not that Baekhyun hates having people over, but it’s been a long Friday and he just wants to freaking relax in his own home. Is that too much to ask? 

As if reading his mind, Minseok declares it’s time for them to leave Baekhyun alone. Pleasantly surprised, Baekhyun shoots him a grateful look and moves to get up from Jongdae’s lap. Instead, Jongdae pulls him down, preventing him from getting up. “Shouldn’t you be going too?” Baekhyun says lightly, smiling at him. “Silly.”

“Baek,” Jongdae says, his voice serious. “Listen to me for a sec.” He angles around Baekhyun and shouts, “I’ll be right behind you, just need to tell Baek something real quick.”

“Okay,” Lu Han chirps and Minseok nods. They walk away as Baekhyun turns in Jongdae’s lap to look at him expectantly. 

Jongdae bites his lip, looking worried. “You do know what happens if you fail the audit, right?” 

“Oh, that?” Baekhyun says. “Joonmyun mentioned something about Hell’s bully boys. It didn’t sound good.” He tried to make his voice joking, but his weak attempt at humor died at the somber look on Jongdae’s face. “What, you’re making me worried now.”

“It’s either that, or you can choose to change bosses instead.”

“Oh.” Baekhyun isn’t sure how to feel about that. “Why didn’t Joonmyun say that then?” For some reason, Kyungsoo’s face comes to mind, but he dismisses it. He had no chance with him anyway, it might be better for him to move.

“He doesn’t want to lose you this way, it looks bad on his record. So he’s not telling you there’s an easy way out.” 

“I could go to Providence, be with you guys?” Baekhyun suggests, but Jongdae is already shaking his head.

“Lu Han’s too good of an incubus for Zitao to merit having another. No, they’ll move you somewhere far, like halfway across the world.” Jongdae’s mouth twists. “I’d rather you stay, I like having you so close.”

“I know, I like having you close too. You’re my best friend,” Baekhyun says and hugs Jongdae. There’s a weird pause before Jongdae hugs him back. Maybe he’s just conflicted about Baekhyun having to move. “I have a bit of time to decide whether or not to actually step it up. You know I… I don’t like it anymore.”

Both of them knew what “it” was referring to. “I know,” Jongdae says, “but I think you really should at least try. They’ll be more lenient with the move if you put in at least a bit of an effort.”

Baekhyun nods. “I’ll try. Thanks for the heads-up, Jongdae.”

“Good. Now let me up, my legs are going numb. Can’t you shapeshift your thighs a little lighter?” Jongdae teases. 

“Oh shut up, my thighs are beautiful and you know it,” Baekhyun retorts, sticking his tongue out at Jongdae as he gets up. This is more typical Jongdae. He slaps his thighs to make them jiggle. “Boys and girls love strong thighs.”

Jongdae gets up, saying, “Yeah, yeah, body positivity and all,” and they walk to Baekhyun’s door together. Minseok and Lu Han are in the hallway outside, arms crossed and waiting. “Good seeing you, Baek,” Jongdae says and gives Baekhyun a hug at the door. Then he leaves too.

Baekhyun stands there, alone at last, staring idly at his door. What did it all mean? The audit, serendipitously meeting a good soul, and Joonmyun lying? Something had to connect it all.

But then he sighed, and properly locked his door. “No use thinking about it now,” he mumbled, and stretched, yawning.

A thought occurred to him. “Chen?” he called. The cat had been unusually absent for the whole gathering. He usually didn’t avoid lesser immortals, only demons. Baekhyun heard a responding mew from his bedroom and walked to it.

 _Strange_. He hadn’t closed his bedroom door, at least he doesn’t remember doing so. He opens the door and blinks. 

Why in the world is an agent of Heaven in his room, and why is he holding his traitorously purring cat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on [Tumblr](http:/lady-serendipity.tumblr.com) or my brand spanking-new [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ladyyserendipit)!
> 
> And comment, if you feel like it! Thoughts on the epigraph? Opinions on xiuhan? ;D lmk


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously I had “Kris Wu” as the translator of Kyungsoo’s stories, but I’ve since changed it to Henry Lau. Sorry for any confusion this might cause :o

_____________________

_So… what'd you think?_  
_I… I like him._  
_You sound surprised._  
_I mean, kinda expected him to be hideous. You did call in that favor._  
_Well fortunately for you he's far from hideous._  
_Mmm. It does make it easier._  


_____________________

Baekhyun puts a hand on his face and slowly drags it down. Trying to take stock of the situation, he mutters, “Right now, my traitorous cat is purring like a motor in the arms of an angel. The question is,” he moves his hand and looks at the angel, “why is he here in the first place?”

As an angel, Yifan is not entirely unwelcome as a guest. He’s the most powerful angel in Boston, equal only in power to Junmyeon. Contrary to expectations, the Yifan and Junmyeon actually seem like good friends rather than the lifelong foes human stories have painted them as. It makes sense to Baekhyun. Why be antagonistic to someone who, like you, has been around since the beginning of time and creation? Even if their goals were opposing, they didn’t necessarily have to keep to the never-ending battle in everyday life. A work-life balance of sorts.

Yifan even hung out with their demonic social group at times, unlike other angels who scorned agents of hell for their choices. Heaven works in mysterious ways indeed. However, Baekhyun had never really liked Yifan, despite his friends’ opinions. It was something about how haughty he seemed. Or maybe it was just his face. The angel had proud, arched eyebrows and thin lips. He rarely smiled, only smirked, and his bleached blond hair didn’t help the smug look either. 

Today though, Yifan looks a little contrite. “Hello, Son of Lilith. It was easier than knocking, and you had guests over. Plus, I wanted to say hi to this guy.” He gives Chen one last rub and puts him down. “I don’t suppose I could get some water?”

“I suppose you could,” Baekhyun sighs, and leads the way back to his dining room. He grabs two cups and fill them with water. “Sorry for the pissy attitude but it’s been a long day. I’d like to keep this short,” he says, handing Yifan his water. 

Yifan accepts it, arching one his eyebrows in question. “The audit?” He folds his large body onto Baekhyun’s loveseat while Baekhyun’s still perched on the kitchen counter.

Sipping his own water, Baekhyun walks around to face Yifan. “Does everyone and their mother know about the damn audit?”

Chuckling, Yifan puts down his cup on the small table, having gulped it all down. Angels don’t even need water, but they like pretending they do. “When Lu Han knows, everyone knows.”

“Goddamn it Lu Han,” Baekhyun replies, resigned. He also puts down his cup and takes a seat on the couch. He sighs as his body sinks into the leather. Baekhyun’s even more tired than he’d thought, but his mind is awake and whirring, trying to figure out why Yifan is here. “Is that it?”

“I also heard you met a certain someone. Your favorite author?”

“Hmm, and who told you that?” Baekhyun asks, genuinely surprised. 

Yifan chuckled again. “I’m actually friends with Chanyeol too. He was raving about how excited he was to set you guys up together. Pretty cute.”

Widening his eyes, Baekhyun sits up in the couch, propping his elbows on his knees. “Chanyeol had it in for me from the start, huh?” he says ruefully. “I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not. But how are you talking with him anyway? Are you even allowed to talk to humans?” 

“I’m allowed more than you think, but I’m also restrained more than you know,” Yifan replies mysteriously.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “What a typical angel answer.” He leans back, looking at Yifan thoughtfully. “But you’re not here for small chat, are you?”

“But I am, Son of Lilith. I wanted to catch up,” Yifan says, smirking, but there’s a hint of sadness in his eyes. “I like asking challenging questions. So here’s this: why do you think hell is giving you an audit?”

Baekhyun opens his mouth to answer but then closes it. He hadn’t actually thought about why, he’d more or less just accepted it after absorbing the shock. “Does hell need a reason for auditing?” he asks before he realizes, “Wait no, that’s a dumb question. Hell has paperwork for everything. Everything has a reason and is documented somewhere.” Baekhyun sees that Yifan is nodding. “Can you… tell me more?”

Now Yifan is shaking his head. “Technically I’m not even supposed to be telling you this much, but I thought it might be good for you to start thinking,” he shrugs. “I did try to talk Joon down from the audit, but he seemed strangely insistent. I thought you should know.”

“Figures. Unbreakable rules of the universe and all that.”

“You catch on fast, Son of Lilith,” Yifan smiles and grabs his cup, walking over the kitchen to put it in the sink. “Do be very careful, and good luck.”

With that, Yifan walks out the door, closing the door gently behind him. A formality, really, since he could have teleported out. Or blown Baekhyun’s door apart.

“Angels,” Baekhyun mutters, and rinses out his own cup. He hasn’t really learned anything new, but he has gained a new perspective - that Heaven was interested in him as well as Hell. 

He suddenly remembered that Jongdae had told him he could escape the audit by moving. Maybe someone didn’t want him in Boston any more. But why?

Chen saunters back to him, twining around Baekhyun’s legs and meowing to be picked up. “I’m angry at you,” Baekhyun sniffs, and Chen simply meows again. Melting, Baekhyun picks Chen up. “I’m not, you’re right,” he grumps at him, “I couldn’t be mad at you.” 

He hums, letting Chen’s purring wash over him, and turns to head to his bedroom. But Baekhyun pauses and looks over his shoulder at the door to his apartment before going to click the deadbolt. It wouldn’t do anything against his more powerful visitors, but at least he wouldn’t have any more interruptions that night.

_____________________

Baekhyun is woken not by his alarm, but by a series of buzzing. It’s a series of texts from people who are up _way_ too damn early in the morning. Meaning 11 AM.

Lay: sorry can we move our date up  
Lay: are you free today  
???: This is Kyungsoo.  
???: Confirming we’ll be meeting today in an hour?

Baekhyun blearily reads the last text before he yells, jumping out of bed. “Fuck!” he hisses at his phone and throws open his closet. He rifles through, thinking, _Casual, casual_ , before realizing he should respond to the texts. To Lay, he responds “free 2nite. Around 5,” and to Kyungsoo he replies, “Ya.” He figures that’s casual enough for the two of them.

Kyungsoo: Ok. See you soon.  
Lay: great, I’ll pick you up at 6 then.  
Lay: wear something nice

He finally decides on “nonattractive,” thinking of Minseok’s warning. Or as nonattractive as Baekhyun can get - jeans, a turtleneck, and forgoing the makeup. He sets out, hoping that something will work out and Baekhyun would have an easy out by 5. As the Boston T rattles on, he thinks, _A not-date then a real date. Not bad for a Saturday_.

Whistling, he gets out at the Park Street station and walks along the Commons to the Thinking Cup. Noon on a Saturday and the city is already bustling. A nice spring weekend, even if it is a brisk forty degrees, will see plenty of Bostonians out and about. He sticks his hands in his pockets and feels warm. It’ll be a good day for a short walking tour of Boston. 

As he approaches the café, he spots Kyungsoo and his heart plummets. Kyungsoo is wearing jeans, an f(x) shirt, and a brown corduroy jacket. _Why does he have to be so goddamn cute?_ Baekhyun internally moans before looking left and right. Then he jogs across the intersection, masterfully jaywalking.

Kyungsoo spots Baekhyun and beams. “Good morning,” he says in a low, husky voice. 

Baekhyun's mouth goes dry and he makes himself grimace back. “Morning,” he says and leads the way into the cafe. He doesn’t see the way Kyungsoo blinks and follows him inside, smile disappearing.

He orders a honey cinnamon latte, and after a moment, Kyungsoo decides on a bagel sandwich and a cup of Earl Grey tea. As they’re waiting for their orders, Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo and smiles to make up for his initial grumpiness. “Is it my cue to tell you that we should’ve gone to a tea place? Had I known you were one of those tea drinkers….”

Kyungsoo chuckles as he accepts his tea, thanking the employee. “Don’t bother. I’m a fickle kind of guy,” he says and looks at the crowded tables. Spotting a place, he tells Baekhyun, “I’ll go get us a seat.”

Baekhyun nods. _You don’t strike me as fickle_ , he wants to say, but the moment is lost. He watches Kyungsoo navigate his way around the tables, managing to snag a booth right as it empties. His latte is called and he thanks them too. Steadying himself, Baekhyun goes to add even more sugar before joining Kyungsoo.

Sliding into the booth, Baekhyun accidentally splashes a bit of the latte on his hand. “Oops,” he winces in slight pain. Kyungsoo immediately takes his hand and pats it dry with a napkin. There’s a moment when their hands touch, a flash of _something_ striking through Baekhyun. Powerful feelings of but they’re so mixed it’s hard to sort out. And it’s so fleeting that Baekhyun can even believe that it hadn’t happened at all. 

Baekhyun snatches his hand back, napkin still on top, as Kyungsoo’s grip relaxes. _What the fuck was that?_ Kyungsoo seems as surprised as Baekhyun feels, and they look at each other for a moment. 

The spell is broken when a waiter comes by and places Kyungsoo’s bagel sandwich between them. They both startle but Kyungsoo recovers first and thanks the waiter. Baekhyun quickly rubs his hand dry, and places the napkin between them. 

Kyungsoo hesitantly takes a bite of the sandwich before his eyes widen. Swallowing what’s in his mouth, he says, “Wow, this is really good.” 

“Yeah, isn’t it?” Baekhyun says. If Kyungsoo is going to ignore it, so is he. It’s probably nothing anyway. “Chanyeol’s actually the reason why I know about this place. He raves about it all the time.”

“Chanyeol’s the tall one, right?” Kyungsoo frowns, as if he’s trying to remember.

“If by tall you mean annoyingly tall, then yes,” Baekhyun says fondly. “Good memory.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo smirks, “the main reason I know his name is because Jongin can’t shut up about him. Chanyeol this, Chanyeol that.”

Baekhyun’s sure he’s smirking back. “I’ll have to rope you in on my master plan to get them together.”

“How devious you are,” Kyungsoo chuckles again. Baekhyun is already slightly addicted to the noise. He takes another bite of the bagel and hums appreciatively at the taste. “I’ll have to warn you my only real friend is Jongin at the moment, I can’t lose him.” He looks up and Baekhyun’s heart skips a beat. “But if we’d be friends, then I guess I’m in.”

“We can be friends,” Baekhyun says without thinking to reassure Kyungsoo. “That’s what this is. A friend date.”

“Okay.”

Silence falls at the table as Kyungsoo eats his food and Baekhyun sips at his latte. Baekhyun is determinedly looking at his latte, and he feels Kyungsoo’s curious, patient gaze on him. Finally, Baekhyun can’t take it anymore. “How, um, is your writing going?” 

He cringes at the phrasing of the question, worrying that it’s too blunt. “My literary children are making me feel guilty,” Kyungsoo sighs. 

Baekhyun looks at him, surprised. “What do you mean?”

Running a hand through his hair, Kyungsoo says, “Take Peng-Gwen, for example. She always wants another adventure but I gotta take care of Langley first.” Langley’s the star of Kyungsoo’s latest series on Syria.

“Langley can take a break, Peng-Gwen obviously deserves the attention,” Baekhyun scoffs. 

When Kyungsoo jumps to Langley’s defense, it’s a whole hour before they end up agreeing to disagree. Baekhyun takes a look at his watch and jumps at the time. “Shit, we should get going if you actually wanted that tour.”

Kyungsoo blinks at him. “Do you have plans after this?” he asks, hesitantly. 

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve gotta leave at 4.” Baekhyun remembers to be cautious, but smiles apologetically anyway. “Not that I don’t love spending time with you but…”

Shrugging, Kyungsoo gets up and picks up his dishes. “Not a problem. Don’t need Langley haters in my life,” he sing-songs before taking Baekhyun’s cup too and running away.

“Hey, what happened to agreeing to disagree?” Baekhyun gripes after him on their way out. Kyungsoo laughs at him while holding the door for him. “This gentleman thing of yours is ridiculous,” Baekhyun continues, refusing to be swayed. _Stop being like this, will you?_

“So I’ve been told,” Kyungsoo grins. “Take it as more of the mother hen instinct. Now, please begin your tour guiding. You’ve been sadly lacking.”

Baekhyun resists the urge to whine at Kyungsoo like he’s one of Baekhyun’s forever friends, and instead assumes his best faux tour guide imitation. “On your left we have the beautiful Boston Commons. Follow me across the street as we try not to die.”

It’s a beautiful spring day - a slight chill in the air, but the sunshine is warm. Baekhyun rattles off random facts about the Commons, pretending he hadn’t actually been at some of the events he describes.

They end up at one of the lakes, propping their arms along the bridge and looking at the floating swan boats. Baekhyun catches himself rambling and says, “Ah sorry. Am I boring you yet?” 

He makes the mistake of looking at Kyungsoo, who’s looking at him with a fond smile. “I don’t mind.”

“O-okay,” Baekhyun stammers and goes silent. He tries to avert his gaze, but Kyungsoo inches closer. 

“What an accomplishment, I made you speechless,” Kyungsoo teases in a low voice, and Baekhyun licks his lips. Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter down and back up for the briefest of moments, and his incubus instincts flare to life.

In that moment, he sees Kyungsoo how Minseok must’ve seen Kyungsoo - a golden reservoir of _good_. Just a kiss, even a chaste one, would feed Baekhyun for a good week. The temptation unfurling within him is strong, to lean over and get a taste of those beautifully thick lips. They look soft, and Baekhyun can’t remember the last time he’s wanted to kiss someone so badly.

That scares him. That’s what snaps Baekhyun back to reality, gently but firmly pushing Kyungsoo away. He tries to laugh it off, saying, “Anyway, I think we’ve stayed here long enough. To the Charles!”

Ignoring how thrown Kyungsoo looks, he stalks away as quickly as he can. _What am I, a newly created incubus?_ Baekhyun berates himself, _losing control like that, seriously._

He’s going to have to end this friend date soon... for both their sakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for disappearing for two months TT___TT work got really overwhelming and I applied for grad school on a whirlwind so put my writing skills to use. Hopefully you enjoyed them finally going on a (not) date!
> 
> A longer update next time! I'm back in the game wooooo


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been a long time coming. I would say to anticipate more regular chapters, but I did just start my master's so... we shall see. my renewed attempt: monthly! thank youuu to all of you who are subscribing and believing in me <3 I hope this chapter delivers a fresh perspective.
> 
> warning: smut again at long last. what is incubus!au without it? ;)

_____________________

_Shit. Shit shit shit._  
 _What?_  
 _They’re together, fuck. Send him over, NOW._  
 _You’re the one who said it should be natural._  
 _Haaaa. Fuck! It's all... happening too fast._

_____________________

In another part of town, at a ritzy hotel, Yixing is packing his stuff. He’s dressed in his signature fuckboy outfit for the night, a lavender button-down and artfully ripped black jeans. Not that he doesn’t enjoy a nice hotel room, but if he’s going to be here for a while he needs a real home base. As long as the potential roommate he meets tomorrow isn’t a serial killer, he’ll take it.

His phone buzzes with a series of incoming texts. Frowning, Yixing pulls it out and grimaces at the sender. _Typical_ , he thinks, _for an experienced swindler to make the most rookie of mistakes_. Sitting on the end of the bed, he texts back telling them to please be patient, and carelessly throws his phone aside. He yawns and stretches, interlacing his fingers above his head, and then lays back on the bed to assess his situation.

Yixing is a warlock. Right now he’s pretending to be a visiting imp. According to his employer, denizens of Hell were difficult to tell apart. Plus, Yixing knows a thing or two about pretending to be an imp, through friends of friends.

His job? To seduce one Baekhyun Byun and keep him romantically busy as well, if possible. All in the span of a few days, to last a month or two. With the vaguely threatening urgency of his current employer, Yixing had assumed that Baekhyun was ugly beyond hope. 

He rolls over to pick up his phone, pulling up the selfie Baekhyun had sent him. And right after they’d met too. Dragging his eyes over the cute pout and the slender, elegant finger pulling on his lower lip, Yixing sighs. Not ugly at all. Is he being played? The stakes were way too high for such a seemingly easy task. After all, his employer had gone so far as to say he’d make Yixing’s presence—existence—known to one of the local archdemons, Joonmyun. That would be very bad.

Groaning, he lifts his legs up and launches himself on his feet. _It sucks to live in secret, just because of what I am_ , Yixing thinks as he moves across the room. After all, if he were discovered by an angel, they would smite him. A warlock is the powerful result of a mistake an angel only makes once: fall in love with a human, fall from heaven as your price.

Of course, demons make smiting by angels look merciful in contrast. When a demon found a warlock, much like a mob boss they would use the warlock as a pawn. Yixing has a few friends who have since passed away, semi-immortal lives cut short as personal assassins. Scratching his head, he shrugs away the painful memories and finishes putting his clothes away. He pauses to take in the hotel room. _Can’t I keep staying in a hotel?_

 _No_. If Yixing is to really pretend to be a denizen of hell, Baekhyun will get suspicious if Yixing never brought him over…. 

His decision is made when there’s a card key clack on the hotel room’s door. Using a shower of red sparks, Yixing turns himself and his suitcase invisible and silent. “What on earth - how did it get so messy already?” the cleaning lady grumbles as she walks in with the cart. She narrowly misses Yixing, who takes the opportunity to leave the room. 

Walking briskly, Yixing reaches the lobby and slips out when a couple conveniently enters through the revolving doors, expertly maneuvering his suitcase. Smirking, he taps a passersby on the shoulder and grins even wider at the confused murmurs from behind. He loves his magic, even if he hates the demonic father it originates from.

Turning into an alley, he sheds the glamor on himself and undoes the misdirection glamor on the parked car. He hadn’t fancied the possibility of having it towed just because he wanted to leave it somewhere convenient. This too had been a gift from the employer - a sleek, red Tesla. “Didn’t want me to hurt the environment?” he’d teased his employer.

His employer hadn’t enjoyed the joke. Too tense. Yixing had never been one to look a gift car in the engine, or however that saying went, and accepted it graciously.

 _Now this_ , he thought as he got into the car, _is the real magic_. Humans had advanced so much in two centuries. Though there still is something to be said about riding a horse, Yixing much likes the purring of the car as it revs up. It’s a quick trip from the hotel to Baekhyun’s apartment - not too close, but close enough so Yixing could stalk him if needed. Who said romance was dead?

Yixing turns off the engine and walks over to the passenger side to face the building. He summons his persona. _Time to be Lay, and not Yixing_. Lay looks expectantly at the double doors and Baekhyun Byun does not disappoint. At promptly 6:02, the incubus exiting the elevator takes Lay’s breath away.

Said man is wearing enough eyeliner, just enough to scream “fuck me” but not too much. Baekhyun’s eyes are sharp and mischievous. Lay winks before purposefully breaking eye contact to drag over the rest of Baekhyun’s body. To say he likes what he sees would be a gross understatement. A crisp but soft white button-down accents Baekhyun’s slim hips and is nicely tucked into ass-hugging black slacks. His hair is tousled in an innocent boyish look that belies Baekhyun’s true nature as a soul-sucking incubus.

 _Fuck_. Lay wants to _ruin_ him. He can feel himself grinning already, and reaches out for Baekhyun’s hand when Baekhyun comes to a stop in front of him. Baekhyun arches an eyebrow at him. Smirking, Lay grips Baekhyun’s hand and presses a kiss to each finger, making Baekhyun shiver. 

“I’d almost peg you for an incubi, but I don’t think you are one,” Baekhyun purrs. He twines their fingers together and leans in to brush a kiss to Lay’s lips. “Let’s get this night started, shall we?”

Yixing swallows at the sultry tone, and recovers enough to swap back into the Lay persona, saying, “Yes, let’s.” He inwardly chastises himself, _Get it together_. Still holding Baekhyun’s hand, Lay opens the door with the other and gestures for Baekhyun to enter. Something warms in his chest at the way Baekhyun looks flattered at the pampering. “Hands clear of the closing doors,” Lay chirps before moving over to the driver’s side.

For the ride, he puts on a jazz track and hums along to the melody. “I like this,” Baekhyun says almost absently, as he stares out the window. “The music.”

“Not me?” Lay teases. He likes the sound of Baekhyun’s laughter.

“I haven’t decided on you yet… depends on how this night goes.”

“Well, glad you like it.” The conversation stalls, and he scrambles for something to say. It’s that first date awkwardness. Yixing’s eyes flicker over to Baekhyun to try to gauge how to continue, before making himself focus on the road. Even though both of them are immortal, a car crash would still hurt like hell. “I composed it,” he blurts out, and then wants to smack himself on the forehead. 

“Really?” Just that one word is inflected with interest. “Is that what you do for a living, then?”

“No,” Lay replies, shaking his head and taking the turn into one of the many tunnels out of Boston’s inner city. “My day job is more boring. I invest.” Investing is a safe thing to say. It’s hell terminology for “I sit on a lot of money and spend it as it grows,” and explains why “Lay” has mobility.

“Ah.” Lay can sense Baekhyun’s attention wandering, but this time he stays engaged in the conversation. “I’m surprised you didn’t schedule a ten-minute date after all. Why all the elaborate setup?”

Lay snorts. “I think you deserve much more than a fuck. I wanted to wine and dine you,” he says as he pulls up to a jazzy wine bar just outside the city. 

Baekhyun blinks and lets out a low whistle of surprise. “This is nice,” he says, exiting the car and closing the door carefully. As they walk in, Baekhyun jokes, “Hope you have a reservation?”

Looking at the maitre’d, Lay nods at his question. “Reservation for two under the name ‘Lay.’”

“Right this way, sirs,” the waiter says, taking two menus and leading them to a table with a window view. Lay notes Baekhyun gazing with a hint of wistfulness at the small vineyard outside. 

“Like the view?” 

As if snapping out of a reverie, Baekhyun turns his gaze to Lay. “Something like that,” he says simply, and then abruptly changes the subject. “What really is your name? And what are you?”

Lay raises an eyebrow. “Straight to the point. I’m an imp, and my name’s Lay, Lay Zhang.” The waiter arrives, signaling for a necessary pause to their conversation. Lay promptly orders two glasses of the house cabernet sauvignon.

When the waiter leaves to fetch their glasses, Baekhyun puts his elbows on the table and crosses his fingers. The elbows are in defiance of the fancy atmosphere of the winery, but Lay doesn’t care. He likes the way Baekhyun’s fingers look, following them with his eyes as Baekhyun absently wrings his hands. “Where are you based? How come you’re here?” 

“Changsha, but here for a few weeks to observe.” It is close enough. His real Chinese heritage would make the lie more believable, even though he hasn’t been back to his hometown since, well, his mother and stepfather chased him out with pitchforks. For his own good, they had said, when Yixing’s demon side had manifested those two hundred years ago. 

Baekhyun’s saying something, but Yixing frowns, snapping back into Lay. “What? Sorry, I spaced out.”

It’s Baekhyun’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “I was saying I wanted to go to China some day. I’ve been learning the language, but never had the assignment to go.”

“Then what about you? How long have you been assigned here, where are you from?” Lay asks. He genuinely doesn’t know. He hadn’t been told much, so it would be more convincing of a setup.

“Only seven years.” Baekhyun’s face twists for a fraction of a second, and Yixing almost thinks he imagined it. “I like it here though, I want to stay for a while. I’ll keep my past mysterious, you’ll have to work a little harder for that.”

“Or I could just dig through the paperwork.” As a supposed imp, Lay would have access to Hell’s files. In theory. He’d have to keep his lies straight.

Baekhyun’s eyes flash, with what Yixing doesn’t know. “I’m surprised you haven’t been given my files already,” he says, and Yixing realizes he’s just fucked up somehow. 

_Sloppy_ , he berates himself, and quickly backtracks. “Ah, you know. It is supposed to be vacation, I haven’t settled in quite yet.” Yixing makes a mental note to ask his employer for the files, and to quiz him a bit deeper about what an imp on visitation actually does.

“Understandable,” Baekhyun murmurs. The waiter drops by with two wine glasses and generously fills them up. Lay thanks him and waves him off before raising his glass. 

“Cheers. To us,” he says, meeting eyes with Baekhyun.

“To us,” Baekhyun echoes, and they click glasses. Lay watches Baekhyun breathe in the wine, swirl it, and take a sip. The way Baekhyun sighs tells Yixing he’s made the right choice tonight. “Scrumptious.”

“I’m glad,” Lay says, taking a sip of his own wine. Silence falls again, and Lay sees Baekhyun’s gaze go distant. _I’ll wait for him to begin again_ , he decides, hoping that’s what would be most natural. 

It’s a good move. After a few minutes, Baekhyun shakes himself out of his trance and smiles ruefully at Lay. “Sorry, I’m not being a good date. You prepared all of this and I’m…” he waves for lack of words.

Lay shakes his head quickly, despite himself. “No, not at all! I like, uh, looking at your face.” _What the hell am I saying?_ Baekhyun looks slightly taken aback at Yixing’s statement, and Yixing tenses. _That was too much, wasn’t it?_

But then Baekhyun’s face softens. Something shifts in the atmosphere as he cutely frames his face with his thumb and pointer finger. “That’s right, I am pretty cute.” 

Yixing’s stomach swoops in a weird, weird way, and he manages to choke out, “You’re ridiculous, that’s what you are.” He pauses, trying to be suave Lay again. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“Ah, it’s nothing special. I could…” Baekhyun pauses and a mischievous expression enters his face. “I could just be in need of a good fuck.”

His smile only widens as Yixing nearly chokes on his wine. “Subtle,” he coughs, wiping at his mouth with a napkin. 

“Hey, that’s what we’re both really after, isn’t it?” Baekhyun asks, clearly studying Lay’s face for an answer. 

Yixing hesitates, because though yes that’s originally what he was after… he thinks Baekhyun might actually be dropping his guard. More for the earnest Yixing that had surfaced, not the confident, cocky Lay. He finds himself saying, “Well, yes… and no.” At Baekhyun’s eyebrow raise, Yixing links their ankles together. He’s enamored by the way Baekhyun’s breath catches. “I do want to fuck you, but I enjoy talking with you too. You haven’t even given me your full bougie review of the wine yet.”

“I’ve clearly been dying to,” Baekhyun drawls dryly, and it’s Yixing’s turn to raise his eyebrow. “God damn it, you got me. This one’s got the wrong undertones for me, and a bit too dry.” 

“Do you not like the licorice?” Yixing asks, and then laughs at the face Baekhyun makes.

“Nope, no way. I generally prefer less strongly bitter flavors…” Baekhyun continues, and Yixing finds that he likes arguing with Baekhyun about wine. 

At some point, their elegant conversation devolves into innuendos, each poorer than the next, until Yixing finally throws down a few hundreds on the table and leads Baekhyun out into the illumination of the flickering street lights. Then he starts laughing, and so does Baekhyun. They’re both so tipsy. 

“I can’t believe you tried to prove your point about wine glasses by licking its stem,” Yixing giggles and laces his fingers with Baekhyun’s. It’s almost scary how natural this affection bubbling inside him feels. “That waiter must be so scarred.”

“Youuuu were the one who joked about the _width_ of the wine glassss,” Baekhyun slurs, and nearly trips on the concrete. Baekhyun’s free hand reaches out to catch at the chain link fence, and Yixing steadies him before taking a look at their surroundings. They’ve walked a block away from the restaurant.

“Even as an immortal you’re a lightweight,” Yixing murmurs. “Come on, let’s get you home.” He uses a bit of his magic to sober himself up, not wanting to call an Uber. He doesn’t notice Baekhyun frown at the sparks as he opens the car door for Baekhyun.

“A geeeentleman,” Baekhyun beams up at him and Yixing can’t help but ruffle his hair. Then he yanks away his hand as if burned. _He’s a job_ , Yixing reminds himself as he slides into the driver’s seat. The next moment, coherent thought flies from his brain as a hand slides into his lap. 

“Whatcha doing there?” Yixing asks lightly as he starts the car.

“Mmm, not much, exploring the package deal,” Baekhyun replies, and Yixing swallows hard. He has to think for a few seconds about what he needs. _Car keys in, ignoring hand on crotch—ah—um oh I know where to go_. He starts to drive, focusing on traffic as hard as he can so as to not have to turn his car invisible. That’s definitely not a power imps have. 

He still manages the drive to Baekhyun’s in record time, and pulls up with relief. “Here you are,” Yixing says, and gently removes Baekhyun’s hand. Instead, Baekhyun twines their fingers, and Yixing’s worried about how natural this already feels. It shouldn’t be this way, Baekhyun’s just a favor owed.

But… he had been instructed to do the romantic thing too if he could, right?

Meeting Yixing’s gaze, Baekhyun bites his bottom lip. Yixing finds he can’t look away. “Would you like to… come up?” Baekhyun finally asks. 

“If you need help getting up to your room. But if I remember correctly, you have an elevator,” Yixing teases. Then he wants to smack himself in the forehead. His whole mission is to bed Baekhyun. What is he doing now?

“At this rate, I might not make it up there. You might have to help me,” Baekhyun murmurs, and then leans over to kiss Yixing. Eyes fluttering closed, Yixing eagerly returns the kiss, feeling his mind slowly scramble until it’s all _Baekhyun_. When Baekhyun pulls away, he directs Yixing to the garage of his apartment building.

It’s as if some dam has broken, and when Yixing manages to park he clambers over the center console to continue kissing Baekhyun. It's tempting to stay there, but Yixing has enough presence of mind to break away and say, “This might be more comfortable in a bed.”

“What a gentleman,” Baekhyun replies, breathless from kissing. His lips are pinker than usual but Yixing forces himself to open the door. They hold hands on the way to the elevator, Baekhyun mumbling an excuse Yixing doesn't hear. After Baekhyun presses the elevator button, they kiss on the garage wall until the doors ding open. Yixing pulls Baekhyun in by his unbuttoned shirt—when had that happened?—so they don’t have to stop kissing. As they ride the elevator up, Baekhyun pulls away to breathe and asks Yixing, “What were you doing in this building that day anyway?”

He’s lucky he’s recited the answer to this question so often it’s like second nature. “Visiting a friend,” Yixing replies, and then wraps an arm around Baekhyun’s waist to draw him in again. “But it was so much nicer meeting you,” he says.

Baekhyun laughs into the kiss, bright and cute. “You flirt,” he giggles. The elevator door dings open and Baekhyun is dancing out of Yixing’s arms. “Let’s wait once we’re behind locked doors.”

“A bit late for that, isn’t it?” Yixing says. He almost wouldn’t be able to tell that Baekhyun’s nervous except for the way Baekhyun fumbles with the keys. In no time though, Baekhyun has the door open. “Do I get a tour?” he jokes before Baekhyun pushes him up against the wall to kiss him. 

“If you’re good,” Baekhyun gasps as Yixing rolls their hips together. Yixing takes that as an invite to lick his way into Baekhyun’s mouth, moaning as he feels Baekhyun press against him, hard. 

“I can be good, or very bad,” Yixing says cheesily and Baekhyun swats at him. 

“You’re completely ruining the mood,” Baekhyun chuckles even as he gasps at Yixing fondling his ass. “Okay, let’s move it to the bed. We’ll be a lot more comfortable there.”

“Incubus powers should totally include bed summoning,” Yixing says as Baekhyun maneuvers them to the bedroom. He thinks he hears a disgruntled meow before a furry blur shoots past them. “Is that a cat?”

“Yeah, that’s Chen. He’ll be fine, you need these clothes off,” Baekhyun says distractedly, tugging at Yixing’s shirt. Normally he'd mind the wrinkles but it's 

“What about yours?” Yixing pants before Baekhyun silences him with another crushing kiss and pulls Yixing onto the bed, on top of him. Yixing’s hands try to start unbuttoning Baekhyun’s shirt but it’s gone, Baekhyun is naked and writhing underneath him. He moans at how hot that was, grinding their naked erections together with the pre-cum spitting out from both of their cocks.

“Bed summoning may not be an incubus power, but shapeshifting definitely is,” Baekhyun grunts as he mouths and bites along Yixing’s collarbone. “What, have you not had Incubus 101?” When Yixing shakes his head dumbly, Baekhyun pats him on the cheek. “Trust me, best class you’ll ever take.” 

Before Yixing realizes what is happening, Baekhyun flips them over so he’s straddling Yixing with a smirk. Then Yixing throws his head back in a moan when Baekhyun reaches behind himself to take Yixing in his hand. “Incubus 101. No prep necessary.” Baekhyun guides Yixing’s cock to his entrance, teasing himself. Yixing groans at the feeling of lube leaking from Baekhyun’s hole, but holds himself still, doesn’t allow himself to slam Baekhyun down. 

No, Baekhyun does that for him, sheathing Yixing’s cock in one fluid motion and Yixing’s vision goes white. It’s too much, all at once, and he feels - “ _Fuck_! I’m—”

“Like fuck you are,” Baekhyun growls and pinches the base of Yixing’s cock, _hard_. Yixing whimpers as he feels himself trapped, teetering at the edge of the precipice.

“Then stop fucking feeling so good,” Yixing bites out. It’s hot to have Baekhyun take full control of his orgasm, and he feels himself pulse inside Baekhyun. Yixing moans at the devious hum Baekhyun lets out at the twitching of Yixing’s cock. He almost wishes he could tell Baekhyun to let him orgasm and then magic himself into a millisecond refractory period. It’s not worth breaking his cover for, unfortunately. 

Instead, Yixing breathes in and out to control his orgasm, willing it down. When he feels like he’s not about to explode like a teenager, he begins snapping his hips up, gripping Baekhyun’s waist hard. Baekhyun yelps in surprise and lets go of Yixing’s cock, bracing himself on Yixing’s shoulders. “Thought you were—mmgh—a virgin for a second,” Baekhyun moans and begins to match Yixing’s undulating thrusts.

Yixing doesn’t even bother responding to Baekhyun’s taunt, instead speeding up the urgency of his thrusts. “Are—agh—you close yet?” he groans, not wanting a repeat of the makeshift cock ring. He’s scrunching his eyes from the effort but forces them open to see the wrecked, whimpering beauty that is Baekhyun, vein throbbing in his neck and sweat covering his body as his powerful thighs keep him bouncing on Yixing’s cock.

The whimpers give way to full-on moaning when Yixing manages to wrap a hand around Baekhyun’s cock, and after two strokes Baekhyun is coming onto Yixing’s stomach. With one last thrust, Yixing lets out a long groan as he finally comes as well. 

They lie there for a while, sated and cuddling, before Baekhyun groans and makes himself get up. “Can’t you shapeshift it off?” Yixing mumbles, but sighs gratefully as Baekhyun wipes him down. 

“Incubus 102, I do try to conserve my shapeshifting since the more I do it, the more sex I need to have with mortals,” Baekhyun says. Yixing stretches, not wanting to leave just yet. He rolls onto his side as Baekhyun lies down again next to him. “You’re not… staying over, are you?” Baekhyun says, but winces. “Sorry, that sounded rude of me.”

“No, I won’t, but could I borrow your shower?” Yixing asks. He’s both endeared and aroused when a sly smile spreads on Baekhyun’s face. He’s fucked.

“Shower sex?”

_____________________

Yixing finally has to make himself leave, lest he make it to his new apartment too late. There’s a strange air, they just fucked twice but somehow Baekhyun’s cuddliness and hand holding makes it seem like… more. And at the door, Baekhyun hesitates before bringing Yixing in for a long, brain-scrambling kiss. It all almost changes Yixing’s mind about staying. Almost.

Except Baekhyun didn’t want him to stay. Yixing would have to work on that.

Huffing as he opts for going down the stairs instead of the elevator, Yixing texts a “sorry, be there soon” to his new roommate when he reaches his car. Letting out a deep breath, Yixing fixes his appearance some more. Maybe whatever his employer’s got planned has room for… whatever is happening between him and Baekhyun. This connection. 

The new place isn’t too far from Baekhyun’s, he’s pleased to note, and has a nice parking garage too. _I think I’ll like it here_ , Yixing thinks as he rides the elevator up. _Not as nice as Baekhyun’s apartment building, but good enough_. He knocks on the door, and only barely stops his jaw from dropping to the floor.

His new roommate is _hot_. On the shorter side, with full lips and wide eyes. “You must be my new roommate.” Even his voice is gorgeous. “Welcome,” the man says and beckons him in as his lips slowly stretch into a heart-shaped smile. 

_Pull yourself together_. “Yes, I’m Zhang Yixing. It’s nice to meet you, Do Kyungsoo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave comments! I always look forward to your reactions. Also the kudos keep reminding me this story is a thing, thank you again to those who left kudos <3
> 
> get ready for more things to happennnnn setup is finally done


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaack again! Jokes on me who thought I could consistently write and do my master's and full time job and travel at the same time. @_@ but without further ado please enjoy! No warnings this chapter.

_____________________

_Look, it’s all going according to plan._  
_I don’t know… is this the right thing to do?_  
_You tell me. I already told you he’s going to suffer._  
_Don't you think I know that? Fuck._

_____________________

Kyungsoo blinks at the handsome man in front of him, standing in what is now their shared living room. His soft black hair is slightly ruffled, falling neatly to frame a beautifully sculpted face. Kyungsoo’s eyes fall to his new roommate’s plush lips, as if beestung with kisses. It only adds to Yixing’s desirability, but Kyungsoo chalks his sudden thirst up to his own lack of action. 

“I see you decorated already?” Yixing says, which snaps Kyungsoo out of his reverie.

“Ah, yes, courtesy of my friend,” Kyungsoo replies, waving a hand around. Sometimes it’s nice having a millionaire for a childhood friend. He’d tolerate Jongin’s army of interior decorators as long as he maintained his ability to tease Jongin about their preschool days. “He insisted. Feel free to use whatever, as long as you don’t—ah, break it or whatever.” 

Kyungsoo winces at his lack of tact, rubbing absently at the arm of the black Italian leather couch. It faces away from the main entrance, towards a broad bay window. The rest of the living room is filled with standing tables. Jongin really knows him too well. 

After an awkward silence, Yixing merely laughs in response, walking over to the couch too. Something in Kyungsoo’s chest relaxes at the sound. “Well, that was nice of him.” Pausing to run a hand along the back of the couch, Yixing’s smile widens. Kyungsoo dimly notes the accompanying dimple. “It only adds to the charm of living here.” 

Kyungsoo flashes Yixing a tentative smile of his own. They both smile dumbly at each other before Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Here, let me give you a short tour.” 

They walk through the apartment, Kyungsoo pointing out details as he remembers them. “I’m not normally this messy,” he frowns at the stack of papers he’d already accumulated on the dining room table. 

“I could probably find it within me to forgive you for being messy on move-in day,” Yixing teases him, and Kyungsoo lifts his hand to shove at him. He quickly quashes the urge, rubbing the back of his neck before continuing on with the tour. Best not to act too familiar all of a sudden. 

On his way, Kyungsoo shoves a half-packed box into his bedroom. “Here’s my bedroom, and this is the kitchen.” Walking back into the hallway, Kyungsoo pauses at the doorway of the second bedroom. “And here’s your bedroom.”

Both of them stare into the empty room before Yixing motions at the door. “I should… probably go grab my stuff then.”

“Uh, yeah! That’s probably good.” Kyungsoo wants to kick himself for the awkwardness in the air. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Be right back!” Kyungsoo watches the door shut behind his new roommate before walking over to the nice black leather couch and collapsing into it.

 _Wow_. First the librarian was really cute, now his roommate is really hot. Maybe Kyungsoo had been a saint in a previous life.

Then he shakes his head. He wasn’t in Boston to start a relationship, there was no time for his fantasies. The whole point of moving to Boston was… Kyungsoo grimly shoves away the memories of what had happened. _Never mind that now._

Sighing, he reaches over the arm of the couch for the tablet on the end table and withdraws his stylus. Should he do the immigration crisis, now that he’s in America? Something else?

Nothing's quite sticking in his head and the blank digital canvas stares right back at him. The welling of panic is all too familiar as nothing comes to mind. He clenches his hand around the stylus and takes a shuddering breath to try to calm down the anxiety. _Stop. Stop. Stop._ It’s not working, so Kyungsoo simply starts to draw. Mindless patterns, past characters, anything that comes to mind… Baekhyun…

Baekhyun, the cute librarian. Their non date had swerved wildly from cute to hot to cold, and Kyungsoo is still not sure what to make of it. _I don't even know what came over me, I just suddenly wanted to kiss him_ , he thinks, embarrassed. When he looks at his sketchpad again he's horrified to see so many Baekhyuns making cartoonish kissy faces. So much for moving on from his fantasies.

But instead of deleting it as had been his first instinct, he saves and closes it and starts drawing anew. Now that he's in the proper mood, maybe….

He jumps when a voice says, “Wow, that's a really cute penguin.” Kyungsoo fumbles with the tablet for a second as another pair of hands shoot out to help him stabilize it. “Sorry, didn't mean to startle you,” Yixing murmurs while wrapped around Kyungsoo. He’s leaning over Kyungsoo, from behind the couch. Maybe having the couch face away from the entrance isn’t such a good idea.

But for now, heart pounding, Kyungsoo strangely wants to melt into Yixing’s arms. Those are some nice muscles lightly supporting him. It's been too long since someone last held him. With all the rabid fans, it had been kind of hard to get out.

But it really is weird that he’s so okay with physical touch. Kyungsoo never gets this friendly this quickly, even keeping Jongin at arm’s length sometimes. “It's fine, I, um, I’ve been told I go into my own world when drawing,” Kyungsoo mumbles. Yixing chuckles before moving away, and Kyungsoo feels inexplicably bereft. “Glad you like the penguin.”

“It kind of looks like you, except with more exaggerated eyelashes!” Yixing says, and tilts his head. “The second penguin looks familiar, but I can’t say why….”

 _Second?_ Kyungsoo looks back at his tablet and his eyes widen. Next to Peng Gwen is unmistakably a penguin version of Baekhyun. “Ah, it’s… based on someone I met recently. It might make a good plot point though.”

“I meant to ask, what exactly do you do?” Yixing follows up, settling on the armchair catty-corner from Kyungsoo’s couch. 

Kyungsoo’s grateful for the change in subject. “I write children’s books,” he says, and scratches his forehead in embarrassment when Yixing lights up.

“That’s really cool! No wonder you’re so good at drawing.”

“And what do you do, new roomie?” Kyungsoo asks, watching the way Yixing’s hands drum on the armchair. _Musician, maybe?_

Yixing laughs. “Nothing as interesting as writing. I’m an investor. I can at least pay the bills.”

“Well, that’s always important,” Kyungsoo replies lamely. A silence falls between them as Yixing stares off into the distance. Kyungsoo stares at Yixing. His new roommate really is beautiful, and Kyungsoo itches to draw him as a penguin for some reason. His art instinct is weird like that. His eyes are drawn to Yixing’s lips again, wondering if he’d been with anyone recently. _Not that it’s my… ulp_. Brown eyes stare into his own.

Blinking, Kyungsoo licks his own lips and breaks eye contact. His ears are pink, from being caught staring. “Um, we should probably instate some roommate rules, right?”

“Right,” Yixing clears his throat. “What did you have in mind?”

“No loud music after 11, we can talk about chores…” Kyungsoo launches into his spiel, and it’s to Yixing’s credit that he keeps up. By the end, Kyungsoo’s hopeful that Yixing will be a good roommate, albeit spacey at times. 

But then Yixing’s expression sharpens. “You should know that I’m gay. You okay with that?”

Kyungsoo’s mouth falls open at the sudden coming out. It wasn’t something he’d been used to knowing about a person, not in Korea, but it wasn’t something he was opposed to either. Yixing’s expression falls, and Kyungsoo rushes to rectify the situation. “Sorry, I don’t. Um. Mind at all. Just took me by surprise. I’m bi,” he offers with a smile.

“Oh, okay.” Yixing smiles back with visible relief. “And you wouldn’t mind if I were to bring someone over sometimes or….” 

Has Kyungsoo been too obvious about eying Yixing? “No, not at all. I mean, I, uh, haven’t had someone in my life in ages so you wouldn’t have to worry about me, but it’s your place too. As long as you respect my space, should be fine.” Kyungsoo can’t remember the last time he’d had another person in his space that wasn’t Jongin accidentally falling asleep on him, but he’s not… that bitter. Not much. He’s got his characters.

“That’s sweet of you,” Yixing says, smile now dimpling his face. “I don’t want to make you feel bad though. If it makes you feel better, I haven’t really been in a relationship for a while.” His expression changes, in a way that’s not sad per se but Kyungsoo thinks it might be bittersweet nostalgia. Then it shutters. “Let’s get more comfortable with each other first, and I’ll bring it up again if it comes up?”

“Sounds good.” They probably will work out after all. Kyungsoo just has to contain his thirst.

“Great,” Yixing says, and stands up to stretch. His shirt rides up, revealing just for a moment a solid pair of abs and a happy trail. Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut. _Nope nope nope_. “I’m going to go unpa… you okay?”

“Yep, just fine,” Kyungsoo says loudly. _Fuck, he probably thinks I’m a weirdo._ He hugs his tablet tightly to him and gets up. Nodding to Yixing and eyes still squeezed shut, he says, “I’ll see you in the morning, good night,” and retreats to his room before anything else can happen.

_____________________

Kyungsoo doesn’t actually see Yixing in the morning, to both his relief and his disappointment. After fixing himself a quick breakfast, he decides that he’d go back to the Children’s Library to work today. Kyungsoo reasons to himself that it’s the nice ambiance, Jongin works nearby…. Nothing to do with the cute librarian who works there.

His heart leaps into his throat at the sight of aforementioned librarian, and when Baekhyun looks up from a shelf Kyungsoo raises a hand in greeting.

An abrupt about turn makes Kyungsoo frown. He watches as Baekhyun all but speed walks to the back. _Um, okay?_ Kyungsoo tries to think if he'd done something to insult Baekhyun. Their Saturday had gone quite well, or so he had thought. Then again, maybe he had been too forward in their non date—

“Good morning!” almost startles Kyungsoo into jumping in the air.

Hand over his heart, he turns and to face another library staff member. _Chanyeol was his name, I think?_ “G-good morning,” Kyungsoo wheezes out, heart still pounding.

“Sorry, did I scare you? I tend to do that,” Chanyeol admits, hand on the back of his neck and scrunched over in apology. “It is good to see you at our library again.”

“It’s… good to be here,” Kyungsoo says. He glances again at the door Baekhyun has disappeared through, and frowns when red hair ducks down out of sight. Something really is wrong. Looking back at Chanyeol, he sees his frown mirrored in Chanyeol’s face. “Is Baekhyun okay?” 

“Um, he should be,” Chanyeol murmurs. “You know what!” he gasps, smacking a fist against his palm. 

Warily watching him, Kyungsoo asks, “What?” 

“You can ask him at lunch,” Chanyeol grins. “Jongin had asked me to join you guys, and Baekhyun usually comes along.”

“Oh, you really don’t have to—and there he goes,” Kyungsoo finishes lamely, realizing Chanyeol has already walked away on those darned long legs of his. _If Baekhyun really didn’t want to join, he wouldn’t_ , he figured, and walks away as well. 

He sets himself up at a table by the windows, tucked in a corner, and gets to doodling. The sunlight streaming in does wonders for Kyungsoo’s imagination, as he successfully tucks an errant librarian out of his mind and joins his characters in their world. 

That’s why Kyungsoo is completely taken by surprise when someone flops onto his back. “Jongin,” he hisses at the culprit, glancing to make sure he hadn’t ruined any storyboards. Thankfully they all remain intact. “What are you doing?”

“Rescuing you from the clutches of your characters, hyung,” Jongin cheerfully responds, tugging on Kyungsoo’s arm. “I’ve been calling your name for five minutes now.”

Blinking owlishly before turning to put his tablet away, Kyungsoo mutters, “You’re always exaggerating.” Stretching, he stands up and pokes Jongin on the cheek. “Ready to go now.” Knowing how much his friend loved physical contact, Kyungsoo offers Jongin his hand before Jongin can even ask.

“I wasn’t exaggerating,” Jongin pouts at him, but takes Kyungsoo’s offered hand anyway. He leads the way out of the library, chattering about the latest investigation his journalists have put in the news. The spot Jongin had chosen isn’t far from the library, and soon enough Kyungsoo sees Baekhyun and Chanyeol in the window of a cafe. Baekhyun’s laughing as their legs tangle, and Chanyeol’s ruffling Baekhyun’s red hair.

He freezes, feeling foolish. Jongin stops also, when Kyungsoo doesn’t move. Tearing his eyes away, Kyungsoo can’t help but ask, “Hey, do you know if they’re together?” Chanyeol removes his hand but keeps smiling goofily at Baekhyun’s animated talking. Something in Kyungsoo’s chest squeezes, and the roof of his mouth tastes oddly like disappointment.

“Who?” Jongin follows Kyungsoo’s line of sight. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol?” His punctuating snort makes Kyungsoo glare at him.

“What’s so funny?”

In fact, Jongin’s giggling so hard he’s almost crying, but there’s an edge to it that Kyungsoo’s not used to. Could it be… bitterness? But why? Wiping at his eye with the free hand, he pulls at Kyungsoo. “You’ll see. This’ll be interesting.”

Kyungsoo feels even more betrayed when Jongin sits next to Chanyeol, making him sit next to Baekhyun. Who is currently still ignoring him. Glaring more daggers at Jongin, he picks up the menu and glares at it too. Jongin at least takes the menu from him and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll order for you.” 

Bereft of distractions, Kyungsoo fades into the background as Jongin joins the conversation between Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Playing with the paper cup in front of him, he chances a glance at Baekhyun but flushes when their gazes meet. They both look away from each other, and Kyungsoo realizes Jongin is looking at him oddly. 

An expression of mischief crosses Jongin’s eyes and Kyungsoo feels his stomach drop. _No fucking Kim Jongin I will skin you—_

“Kyungsoo made a really funny joke on the way here. He thought you two were dating.” Jongin’s unfazed but Chanyeol lets out a tiny yelp when Kyungsoo crushes the paper cup in his left hand. He spares an apology to the tree that had died in vain for it, but figures Chanyeol’s reaction is worth it.

“Funny, people assume that all the time,” Baekhyun says, “but it would be a tragedy for us to date.” 

Chanyeol nods, seemingly recovered from his mild shock. “That’s right, it’d be a total disaster. I mean, all of my exes say so. You’d think with this face,” he preens with a hand on one cheek, but wilts when Kyungsoo simply stares, unimpressed, “I’d be a total womanizer. Sadly, not so.” 

He launches into an epic story of his unfortunate streak with women, and Kyungsoo suddenly realizes two reasons why his dear Jongin had laughed so hard. One) he is unabashedly straight and two) Jongin has got it _hard_ for Chanyeol. Determined suddenly to end this train wreck of a conversation, Kyungsoo opens his mouth to interrupt. 

“And this makes me glad I don’t have to deal with women,” Baekhyun says in lieu of Kyungsoo. He tosses his hair and winks at Jongin. “Men are complicated enough, yeah?” 

Instantly, Kyungsoo sees Jongin soften and inwardly sighs in relief. _Good timing_ , he thinks, propping his head on his hand and glancing at Baekhyun again. He likes anyone that Jongin likes, especially since both of them share the crutch of not easily making friends. _But he’s being so weird_ , Kyungsoo frowns as Baekhyun pointedly doesn’t meet his eyes. He only catches the last of what Chanyeol’s saying, “...what about that Sulli?”

Baekhyun lifts an eyebrow, “She’s not your type either babe. Maybe you should try men sometime.” 

Jongin’s cheeks go slightly pink, imperceptible to only Chanyeol who snorts, “Ha! As if any guy would like a disaster like me.”

“Not with that attitude,” Kyungsoo says drily, and is startled when Chanyeol clutches at his heart dramatically.

“He speaks! He hurts!” Chanyeol gasps, and almost falls out of his chair with his dramatics. Jongin saves the day by casually gripping the back, tilting Chanyeol back into safety. “I guess it’s tit for tat. I almost killed him earlier today.” Chanyeol shakes his head mournfully. “Just with a good morning. I can see the headlines now. Famous Author Dies By Morning Greeting.”

Jongin rolls his eyes, but his smile gives away his fondness. “Kyungsoo startles easy, that’s all. Especially when he retreats from the world.”

Shrugging, Kyungsoo says, “A job hazard, that’s all. I mean, honestly being with the characters is more interesting than being with just me.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Baekhyun says softly, and Kyungsoo looks at him with surprise. It’s the first time Baekhyun has spoken to him, has engaged him, and Kyungsoo suddenly feels off-kilter. The weird electrical moment is back, and it almost feels like it’s simply the two of them glancing at each other.

He hadn’t imagined it then, on Saturday. Kyungsoo normally moves at the speed of a drunken snail when it comes to relationships, but on their first time alone nonetheless he had tried to kiss Baekhyun. 

The moment is abruptly broken when the waiter delivers their sandwiches. Shaken, Kyungsoo wonders, _Will it always be like this? Is this why he’s been avoiding me?_

The conversation moves on, somehow, as they dig into their lunch. Baekhyun’s acting normal again, which makes Kyungsoo think that maybe the morning he was just off. All in all, they have a decent conversation between the four of them. Kyungsoo really appreciates how Baekhyun and Chanyeol draw Jongin out of his shell despite Jongin’s debilitating crush on Chanyeol. 

When they finish their sandwiches, Chanyeol and Baekhyun apologize before rushing back to their job, having taken a smidge too long. Kyungsoo watches them leave, thinking again that maybe this morning with Baekhyun was a fluke. Hoping. Returning his gaze to Jongin, he shifts uncomfortably at Jongin’s smirk. “What?” 

“Looks like Baek likes you, huh?” Jongin sing-songs as if they’re gossiping middle school girls.

“As an author,” Kyungsoo mutters, picking at his sandwich wrapper. The smoked salmon sandwich had been really good, damn it, Jongin knew his tastes too well. “Not like what you’re thinking.”

“Oho? So _you_ like _him_!” Jongin says a tad too smug for Kyungsoo’s taste. 

“Don’t be silly, I’m not here for that,” Kyungsoo sighs, getting up. Adjusting his messenger bag over his shoulder, he continues, “What’s this about Chanyeol though? You might need some help with straight boy.”

Jongin graciously accepts the change in subject with a groan. “Don’t I know it,” he whines, and goes on a rant about Chanyeol as they make their way back to Kyungsoo’s apartment. Apparently it had begun as a small crush that had only grown in strength over the course of a few months, fueled by regular lunch not-dates with Baekhyun in tow and library donor events.

“And I’m halfway between wanting to punch him and kiss him and ugh!” Jongin is saying as they walk in through the door. 

“Hi Kyungsoo, hi Kyungsoo’s friend!” Yixing calls from the living room. 

“Hey Yixing. Sorry I didn’t warn you, this is Jongin,” Kyungsoo says, taking his shoes off and meticulously arranging his and Jongin’s shoes. Jongin walks over to Yixing and shakes his hand before plopping down on the couch.

“Nice to meet you Jongin. You must be furniture man.” 

Jongin giggles. “I suppose I am furniture man. Kyungsoo’s already complained about me decorating for him, then? Ungrateful author that he is,” he says and tries to tweak Kyungsoo’s nose. Seeing it coming, Kyungsoo smacks his hand away. 

“Try that again and I’ll break your fingers,” he threatens, and goes to fix a snack in the kitchen.

“Such a violent hyung,” Kyungsoo hears Jongin sigh, “I’d be careful if I were you.”

“It’ll be hard, considering how cute he is,” Yixing replies, and Kyungsoo’s grateful now that he’s in the kitchen because then Yixing can’t see his embarrassment. _Cute?? Cute???_ He strains to hear the rest of their conversation but their voices have dropped to a low murmur. 

Finishing up a Brie and cracker plate, he returns to the living room to a suspiciously silent and smiling Jongin and Yixing. “What,” Kyungsoo says, eyes narrowing as he puts the plate on the coffee table.

“Oh nothing, just—” Yixing’s interrupted by his ringtone as Careless Whisper belts out from his pocket. His face darkens before he answers the call. “Now?” he asks. “Fine. I’ll be there shortly.” Hanging up without saying goodbye, Yixing sighs and presses his lips into a straight line. “I have to go now, but it was lovely talking with both of you.”

“Ah, that’s too bad,” Jongin says.

“Probably better for me,” Kyungsoo mutters, and hands a cracker with cheese on it to Yixing. “For the road.”

Yixing salutes them with the cracker and heads out. Both Jongin and Kyungsoo stare at the door in silence before Jongin whistles and says, “He’s… unique, but I see now that Baekhyun hyung’s got some ~competition~.”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo says and throws a cracker at Jongin. Both Yixing and Baekhyun were such mysteries. He wants to unravel at least one of them before he leaves Boston. Purely to lift his writer’s block, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only guarantee is that I WILL finish this eventually, but as you can see have given up on consistent updates. And unfortunately it was an admin chapter! I hope you still enjoyed this relationship building and getting to know them a bit better. gotta develop that side!chankai /side-eye.
> 
> Please leave comments!! They actually motivate me to get back at it because I love responding to you guys. As always the kudos also keep reminding me this story is a thing, thank you again to those who left kudos <3 ;_; even though it's not finished yet. I'm honored.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments and let me know your thoughts!! if you feel like it <3 and you can also yell at me on Tumblr [here](http://lady-serendipity.tumblr.com) and/or Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/ladyyserendipit) <3!


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